CHICAGO HOUSE BREAK



These tracks are a slice of Chicago house music from 1980-1995. House music was born in Chicago and these early tracks by artists like Larry Heard, Ron Trent, Fast Eddie, and Farley "Jack Master Funk" gave birth to a music phenomenon that took the world by storm. These early tracks are raw, experimental, and funky. Check the way artists combine the James Brown sample-crazy breaks of late 80s hip hop with the beats of house music to create something called 'hip house'. Hip house was the life-blood of Chicago house parties and school dances in the late 80s and early 90s. House music was also a staple of Chicago top 40 radio, and every night the music's jacking rhythm could be heard pouring out of apartment windows and car stereos. This music is the foundation for all modern dance music, and like it or hate it, it all began in Chicago.

Chicago Music Spotlight: The King of Deep / Larry Heard

Larry Heard, born May 31, 1960, is a Memphis, Tennessee-based musician widely known for the Chicago-based house music he produced in the mid-1980s. Born on the South Side of Chicago, Heard grew up hearing jazz and soul music at home, and could play several instruments from a very young age. Before beginning his solo musical career in 1983, he played in various jazz and fusion cover groups. Heard was the leader of the influential group Fingers Inc. and has recorded solo under various names, most notably Mr. Fingers. Heard’s music, with its elegant, funky style and lush production, set the pace for Chicago’s ‘deep house’ sound in the late 1980s and early 1990s. As of 2009, Heard is still performing, recording and producing music.

www.myspace.com/larryheardakamrfingers